Alas, she mostly stuck to the tired talking points that more primary-care physicians would flock to the profession if there were only more preventive services, more health information technology and better coordination of chronic diseases.

That’s not to knock any of those measures, but they fail to address the disincentives that Heritage health experts say will drive more general doctors out of their practice. Instead, analysts have urged Congress and the Obama Administration to deal with:
• Doctors’ fears about medical malpractice lawsuits that has resulted in excessive use of medical tests
• Physicians’ insecurity of taking on any Medicare patients because of Congress’ failure to present a long-term solution to the coming payment cuts
• Their loss of entrepreneurial opportunities because ObamaCare kills the creation of new physician-owned hospital

These issues come on top of a recent health industry report that the existing supply of primary-care physicians will not be able to keep up with the increased demand posed by millions of newly covered patients flooding the health care market with the passage of ObamaCare, primarily those becoming enrolled in the Medicaid program.

The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. Donate now

Join The Discussion

Just one of the many elements of Health Care that this Congress and Administration keeps under wraps, ignores, or does not understand from their need-to-control positions. Congress seems to be incapable of anticipating impact down the road of the laws they pass – Cash For Clunkers is a perfect example. They had to go back and make changes only weeks after putting into law.

Ready, fire, aim. That was the call by Mr. Obama and his generals, Pelosi and Reid when it came to health care reform.

Thirty or forty million more people to be covered for medical care, no problem. Cutting back payments to doctors, no problem. Doctors leaving the profession and diminished enrollment in medical schools, no problem. We still have plenty of nurses, don't we?

They pushed this health care bill through, without a thought as to how it will affect the public, or did they know exactly what they were doing? Their recent "big government" agenda will continue to pull this country down, through the use of the health care bill and other radical take overs, until they keep their promise to fundamentally change America. Into what? Keep this in mind in the coming election and vote for candidates that uphold the US Constitution and vote out those who would shred that great document. We are losing our rights each and every day!

Why does congress get to afford private insurance? Isn't it an oxy moron when the government of America has more freedoms then the people they serve? why isn't the president doing something so everyone can afford private insurance and he can stay out of it?

Nobody seems to be talking (writing?) about the coming crisis for Seniors in or soon to be in Medicare…..about the rationing of OUR care to pay for the big health care freebie for the more deserving and productive members of society.

Please bear with me. I apologize if my post offends people…. I am truly frightened for myself and for others of my generation. I am frightened for my cancer-survivor husband and for ALL cancer survivors. Overwrought is a good word to describe me. I wake up every morning happy, as I had in the past — and then it dawns on me that there is something to be terrified of, and then I remember Obamacare…..and the soon-to-be rationed care for Medicare recipients….and then the fear I have become so accustomed to living with descends upon me once again.

I talked to one of my doctors today and told him I was really worried about Obamacare and rationed Medicare (I will be forced into it in about a year) and his advice was "Don't get sick." LOL!

Many of us tried to stop Obamacare. Heritage tried to stop it, too. Republicans put up a valiant effort to stop it. So, probably did many of you. But we failed. Obamacare is the law of the land.

Yeah, Republicans will probably score huge victories in November, but many of us will still face rationed care — so while the huge victories will be nice, decent health care for my generation and those older STILL won't be available. Who will ever have the courage to defund it? Once they get elected, most politicians just go along to get along. Already, not many people are talking that much about health care. People are accepting it, I guess. Whenever I go to gatherings where other seniors congregate, I try to bring up the topic, and so many seem to me to be so clueless — don't know what's about to hit them!

Now that rationed care is coming what good is the Heritage Foundation or any of the other organizations promoting a "civil society?" What's going to be civil about rationed care for my generation and for those even older than us? What about people of our generation who get cancer? The pink pill? What about those of us who are unfortunate enough to fall and break a hip? A wheelchair? What if we need cataract surgery? A walker and big glasses, just like in the 1940s? The technology will be there to help us, but we won't have access to that technology. For us, it will be back to leeches, trusses and kidney tonic. I guess.

In all fairness, my husband says I am too overwrought…he thinks things will turn out OK for us. All of us. I wish.

Many of us spent our lifetimes working hard, earning pensions with medical benefits — or if this wasn't an option for us — for enough money to purchase good insurance — so that we could take care of ourselves when we got older. Many of us did everything we could do to attain peace of mind.

Yet wth one stroke of his pen, President Obama eradicated our best efforts and took away that peace of mind. He said the birds were still chirping the next day — and they were — and they still are — but in the very near future, the cuts to Medicare will kick in — docs will stop seeing us because of the cuts — and what will happen then?

I just cannot see how Heritage or Republican victories in November can ever undo any of this.

I wish someone would tell me I am wrong. How nice it would be to be wrong.

This healthcare thing is already driving up costs…my husbands employer, who pays the full amount for it's employees and their dependents healthcare coverage, announced last month big changes to the benefits…… as of May 2010, they will no longer pay for employee spouses/partners that have access to healthcare with their own employers, and had to switch prescription providers which has co pays of $50 rather than the $15 we enjoyed before Obamacare passed. I only hope that when the republicans have the power, that they will also have the guts to repeal this nightmare…and hopefully the least they could do in the mean time is de-fund this thing until Obama is out of office.

I've just turned 65, am now covered by Medicare, and finding it difficult to get a doctor's appointment. Usually, the first question I'm asked is, not what insurance I have, but what is my birth date. When I give it, I'm most often told no appointments are available for 2 to 3 months. I don't recall this happening when I was under age 65.

[…] admonitions of the impending doctor shortage their bill would exacerbate. No worries, they cooed, primary care physicans would come out of the woodwork once all of the bill’s wonderful elements were implemented. After all, Obama had secured the […]

Don’t have time to read the Washington Post or New York Times? Then get The Morning Bell, an early morning edition of the day’s most important political news, conservative commentary and original reporting from a team committed to following the truth no matter where it leads.

Email address

Ever feel like the only difference between the New York Times and Washington Post is the name? We do. Try the Morning Bell and get the day’s most important news and commentary from a team committed to the truth in formats that respect your time…and your intelligence.